14.1.09

This is going to be my last post for a couple weeks. We are heading home to Toronto and then on to St. Lucia to celebrate Big Chuck's brother's wedding. I've never been to the Caribbean before (unless you count Florida) and I'm so excited!! English Muffin has acquired a new dSLR and I'm eager to play with it and document the whole experience. I'll be back February 5th with lots of stories to share I'm sure.

One thing I wanted to mention before I sign off, is that EM got another blog shout out, yay! Our poster was featured on ModEcoKids in a post on "Afordable artwork for children's rooms". You can also check out Lisa Zuraw's lovely designs at Sweetbeets (a shop I'm often poking around).Thanks Lisa!

13.1.09

Bright and early Thursday morning I will be heading back to Toronto for a visit with friends and family and then onto St. Lucia to celebrate Big Chuck's brother's wedding (yay!). In preparation for my trip I've been making plans with friends and thinking about all the things I want to do while I'm home.

12.1.09

When I was young I used to have this adult sized t-shirt that my mom gave me, one of those free t-shirts you get from work or a client or something... Anyway, I used to wear it to bed and was for some reason quite fond of it. On the front were the following words, "I shot the serif at Moveable Type". I asked her what this statement meant, and don't they mean "I shot the sheriff..." ? She tried to explain and of course I never really understood, but it didn't stop me for wearing it all the time. Oh yeah, I think it also had small red circles going from the top right to the bottom left of the shirt, bullet holes perhaps?!

Fast forward a couple decades, it all makes sense now. Here are some fun typographic tee's, much less cryptic than the one I used to wear.

9.1.09

Big Chuck is busy tying up loose ends at work in preparation for his first visit back to the homeland (Canada) since we moved to Vienna a year and a half ago. He's excited!

So today, I'll be your sub ;)

I've searched my email archives for the little gems he sends along to me for "blog inspiration". Here's one I know he loves as he often talks about making furniture out of scraps in the wood shop at his university.

Artist, Amy Hunting, created the Patchwork series entirely out of "wood waste and off-cuts" that were collected from factories in Denmark. "The pieces were put together to form a wood patchwork before they were made into: a chair, a book box and a series of 12 lamps."

7.1.09

There is something so sweet and "old-world-y" about calligraphy and hand lettering, it makes invitations and designs have a warm and approachable feel. Here are a few of my favourite typographical artists, to see more examples of their work please visit their respective sites.

6.1.09

Kicking off our first Canadiana Tuesday of 2009 is Paige Russell, an accomplished product designer who lives on Canada's west coast. If her work seems familiar it's probably because you've seen it in Wallpaper magazine as well as several other notable publications. I love the Rvee and North American Wildlife series as well as the Bad Beaver vase (so cute!) and of course the little Sprout Collective, perfect for little potted plants around the house to remind us of warmer months...

5.1.09

We spent New Year's Eve on the Guerilla Gourmand's roof, we were right in the middle of Vienna, surrounded by 360 degrees of fireworks, pretty amazing!

I'm so excited for 2009, I feel like big things are happening!

Big Chuck and I are gearing up for a trip home to celebrate his brother's wedding on the warm and sunny island of St. Lucia (yay!). I'll be sure to take lots of photos!

English Muffin has been gaining momentum, and after a successful Christmas season I'm happy to report we are now a profitable company - I won't tell you by how much though ;) The 2009 Animal Calendar was/is a big hit, as were the 123 Holiday Printables and after some very nice press the Animal Alphabet Poster picked up speed as well. I have big plans for English Muffin in the new year, next up: Valentine's Day Cards.

The blog has also been a wonderful addition to my life, it's been a little challenging at times and I think I'm still trying to find its voice, but feel like I'm on the right track. Our guest bloggers, Big Chuck and The Guerilla Gourmand have been wonderful additions and I always look forward to their posts. It's also been really fun to hear from you! I know we're still small, but it's really touching to know that more people than just my Mom are tuning in (no offense Mom!).

I wish you all a wonderful new year, and look forward to the posts ahead!